Kurds in the UK are set to gather outside the Italian Embassy in London, calling for improved prison conditions and greater protection regarding Najmaddin Faraj Ahmad, widely known as "Mullah Krekar", currently held by the Italian authorities.

The protesters denounce what they describe as his "inhumane" treatment in Italy.

The 69-year-old Iraqi Kurdish preacher went to Norway as a refugee in 1991. In 2020, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison by an Italian court on terror-related charges after Norway extradited him to Italy. 

Walid Faraj Ahmed, brother of Mullah Krekar, during an interview with The New Arab, noted that Kurds in the UK will peacefully demonstrate in London in defiance of "the bad treatment" his brother faces in an Italian prison.

Ahmed stated that his brother suffers from various chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. He added that Italian authorities have recently restricted his access to medication, and his cell remains cold, with heating provided for only five hours each day.

Ahmed also claimed that Italian authorities have denied Mullah Krekar access to an Italian-language interpreter, despite his inability to speak or understand Italian, and that his lawyer has been unable to visit him for the past 11 months.

Ahmed further claimed that Italian authorities recently confiscated all of his brother's handwritten materials and Arabic-language books, including the Holy Quran, for which he was preparing an interpretation. 

"Confiscating his handwritings and interpretation of the Quran had badly affected my brother psychologically," Ahmed added, indicating that they have contacted Iraqi lawmakers who have been in touch with the Italian government, and are waiting for an answer.

Ahmed urged Kurds in the UK to ensure the demonstration remains peaceful and to highlight the rights violations his brother has experienced.

"We want to create a positive atmosphere for the situation of my brother in which the Italian authorities will end their pressure on him," Ahmed concluded.

The Italian Justice Ministry did not respond to The New Arab's email inquiry. TNA also contacted Safeen Dizayee, the Head of the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Department of Foreign Relations, but he was unavailable for comment.

The Italian court convicted him of being the 'spiritual leader' of the Rawti Shax jihadi cell, which was dismantled by the Italian security police in the autumn of 2015.

His Norwegian lawyer, Brynjar Meling, said in 2019 that his client rejected the charge.

"He has no connection with IS," Meling told AFP after the Italian court ruling.

"His only goal is to come back to Kurdistan in Iraq and be able to (be a) politician there, set up a political party he wants to establish in Iraq as a free man," Meling said.

Kawa Kurdi, a Kurdish preacher in the UK, told TNA that the gathering will take place in front of the Italian Embassy in London from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM GMT. He noted that British authorities, including the police, have been notified, and that invitations have been sent to representatives of all Kurdish parties in the UK.

Kurdi further stated that Mullah Krekar's health is poor and that Italian authorities have denied family members in Norway the opportunity to visit him.

Despite living in Norway for many years and being acquitted in numerous trials, Krekar does not hold Norwegian citizenship, unlike his wife and four children.

Unknown destiny

Ahmed stated that Krekar has approximately two years and seven months remaining on his sentence. However, Norwegian authorities have informed Krekar's lawyer that he will not be allowed to return to Norway after his release. Krekar is willing to return to Iraqi Kurdistan, but the Kurdish authorities have not yet clarified whether he can do so.

As a young man, Krekar engaged with ideas of the Muslim Brotherhood. During the Iran-Iraq war, he fled through Iran to Pakistan, earned a master's in Islamic sciences, and returned to the Kurdistan region after the 1991 uprising.

Krekar was born into a Sunni Kurdish religious family in Sulaymaniyah, northern Iraq. In August 2002, while he was in Iraq, the Norwegian authorities revoked his refugee status because he had returned to his homeland and spent extended periods there.

He was arrested in the Netherlands in September 2002 after being denied entry to Iran and sent back to Europe.

Krekar became a leader in the Islamic Movement of Kurdistan (IMK), founded in 1987 with Iranian backing.
IMK played a complex role in Kurdish politics, with splits leading to the creation of groups like Ansar al-Islam, labelled as "terrorists" by the US.

IMK fought the PUK from 1993 to 1997. Later, joining the Kurdistan Regional Government caused splits, leading radicals to form Ansar al-Islam, led by Krekar in 2001.

Ansar al-Islam operated in the Hawraman mountains, enforcing a rigid form of Islamic sharia law. In 2003, US and PUK forces attacked Ansar Al-Islam, killing and scattering members. The group renamed itself "Ansar Al-Sunna" and later returned to its original name.

The PUK accuses Krekar of killings while leading "Ansar Al-Islam", which he denies.

If he returns to Iraq, the PUK intends to sue him, and he could face the death penalty.